Generally, when one uses his right hand as compared to when one uses his left hand to rotate a fishing reel, it is convenient to rotate the winding handle in a clockwise direction and counterclockwise direction respectively. Consequently, it is beneficial to have a fishing reel that may be readily switched from one's right hand to one's left hand.
Conventionally, as disclosed in the Japanese Utility Model Application (OPI) No. 33989/77 (the term "OPI" as used herein means an "unexamined published application"), a fishing reel includes a brake drum provided with a pawl. The pawl is engaged with a ratchet wheel for applying a braking force to a spool in one direction. One resultant drawback of the conventional structure, based on the inability to transmit the braking force to the spool in more than one direction, is that winding may only be performed by using either one of a right-handed position or left-handed position.
The conventional answer to this drawback involves attaching a brake pawl for alternately switching the reel to either a right-handed or left-hand winding position. The problem with this conventional response is that component parts, such as the brake pawl, must be removed and are likely to become lost. For that reason, it is troublesome and difficult to switch the fishing reel for either of the right-handed and the left-handed winding positions.